Report: West Virginia has least-segregated schools in the U.S., New York has most

LOS ANGELES, May 15 (UPI) -- U.S. schools are becoming increasingly segregated, this according to a report by the UCLA Civil Rights Project. The report, which was published just two days before to the 16th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, says although segregation has improved in some areas, many areas have gotten worse, especially compared to twenty years ago.

Most of the segregation is concentrated in large metropolitan areas and their surrounding suburbs, with a trend increasing toward Northeastern metros. Over half of black students in New York, Maryland, Michigan and Illinois are enrolled in schools with a 90 percent or higher minority student body.

"Segregation is by far the most serious in the central cities of the largest metropolitan areas," the report says, "but it is also severe in central cities of all sizes and suburbs of the largest metro areas, which are now half nonwhite."

At the height of enforced integration, 44 percent of black students in the South attended mostly white schools, but in 2011 only 23 percent did.

Desegregation progress was very substantial for blacks, and occurred in the South from the mid- 1960s to the late l980s. Contrary to many claims, the South has not gone back to the level of segregation before Brown. It has lost all of the additional progress made after l967 but is still the least segregated region for black students.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today's UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.